2022 News Flash
Round Up of 2021
2021 saw some great sailing in the harbour and out at sea using a variety of courses and race formats with the number of boats well up on previous years. A highly successful 3 day regatta was held, when most other local events were cancelled and we enjoyed several beach BBQs and post race social events. The new club Enterprise proved a real success, being used numerous times by club members and their guests and it was helmed to line honours more than once, so clearly a competitive boat and great asset to the club. Two new races were added to the line-up, one in memory of David Hill and one for Mike Willets, who were long standing members of SSC. We had a good spread of winners and trophies were awarded at a well attended award ceremony in November in the village hall. Throughout the year, Paul Wilson, sailing in his Laser, proved unstoppable, winning all races he entered and winning the highly coveted SSC Championship Trophy.
2022 Sailing and Events
The first race of the season will be on Sunday 3rd April at 1415hrs, so please note the date and make sure your boat is back on the beach and ready to go! As usual we will mostly be sailing on Sundays and bank holidays, including a special race series (Thursday 2nd June and Sunday 5th June) to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with prizes for best decorated boats and a post sailing Beach BBQ. This year we hope to hold as many races at sea as possible (subject to sea conditions and safety cover) as this format always proves the most popular and enjoyable for our sailors. Last year many of you will recall we had several early morning races where there was virtually no wind, so this year we have programmed the races for when the sea breeze should have filled in! As you will see in the 2022 Sailing Programme there are several Saturday sailing events planned where we hope to do some non-competitive sailing i.e. Dinghy Cruising to nearby destinations or provide some informal training to help newer members hone their skills. We have not done this for several years and will be subject to both demand and forecast conditions. Beach BBQs proved a real success last year and these are also shown on the programme, like the Downing Street parties, Bring Your Own Food and Drinks!
Due to the strong tides around the river mouth we are limited to sailing around low or high water so its important to start promptly especially in light winds and spring tides; please be ready to go 30 mins before the published start time. We will further develop a system of personal handicaps and use these in some of the races to give more sailors a chance of a medal position.
Club Finances
With a growing membership and several kind bequeaths to the club, the financial situation is much improved compared to last year. Unfortunately, our annual outgoings still exceed our income so we will be looking for ways to balance the books going forward. Key to this is growing our membership so if you know anyone who might be interested please do encourage then to consider joining. At the 2021 AGM we reluctantly agreed to increase our membership rates, which will be the first increase in many years; however, we believe SSC still offers excellent value for sailing in a wonderful setting and hope members will understand the reasons for the increase.
- Subscriptions due now…
Subs are due now so please can everyone pay by bank transfer as soon as possible…. Thank you in advance!
- Single £75
- Family £95
- Sailing & Assoc. Junior £20.00
- Associate (non sailing) £25.00
- SPC Boat Parking Fee £25 per boat
Account Number: 01985362
Sort Code: 30-96-06
Reference: Surname/Boat Type
Contact mailto:mike.clayton12@btinternet.com if you have any difficulties or queries in relation to payment.
Some Sad News
In March 2022 we were shocked by the sudden death of Jon Barrett; he had been a staunch supporter of the club and was Commodore for the year. He is greatly missed and our thoughts are with Jenny, Charlie and Annabel.
Very sadly one of our long-standing members, Dave Bayliss, passed away earlier this year. Dave was a big supporter to the club and taught many youngsters to sail; Dave will be greatly missed by all that knew him.
Boat Beach Parking
Due to there being more boats than chain space, some boats will have to double up at the ferry shelter end. This is generally not a problem but you’ll need to secure your boat with your own sinkers and be prepared to ‘bury and re-find’ or ‘remove and replace’ your ropes when the dinghies are moved for other beach events such as the Water Carnival or Shaldon Regatta. Last year some members reported ropes being cut or removed, if this happens to you please report it to a committee member as soon as possible so we can investigate.
SSC Clubhouse
SSC has a great facility on Riverside but at present we’re not making the most of a waters edge property in the heart of Shaldon with amazing river views. Currently it’s under-utilized to store sailing and rowing equipment and occasionally as a gym/exercise area. We are hoping to make better use of the club house in future and to generate income if we can from private hire for members and small community events.
Your Club Needs You…
The club and all events would not run if it was not for the support of our excellent committee members and band of volunteers who make everything happen. Please let us know if you’d like to volunteer as a committee member to help shape the club, fancy a turn at driving the safety boat driver or want to try your hand at race officer/time-keeper. Also if you don’t want to sail on a particular day (too windy or not enough wind) but still want to get involved, please come along and lend a hand, you’ll always be welcome and given any necessary guidance.
Keep in touch with latest news. The WhatsApp group has become the most popular method of communications, if you’re not on the group contact Roger on 07710 866677 and keep up with race info, race results, whose bringing next week’s cake and some occasional witty banter! Also see the SSC Website and Facebook.